Do You Cook the Spinach First for Quiche?

by
SOMMER LEIGH Last Updated: Oct 13, 2015

Sommer Leigh

Sommer Leigh has produced home, garden, family and health content since 1997 for such nationally known publications as "Better Homes and Gardens," "Ladies' Home Journal," "Midwest Living," "Healthy Kids" and "American Baby." Leigh also owns a Web-consulting business and writes for several Internet publications. She has a Bachelor of Science in information technology and Web management from the University of Phoenix.

Use fresh spinach in quiche for the best taste.Photo Credit Peter Zijlstra/iStock/Getty Images

Whether you cook spinach first when making quiche depends on the type of spinach you use and your preference. There is no correct answer since quiche can use both cooked and uncooked spinach. But if you want your quiche to turn out with moist spinach pieces, instead of crisp ones, how you prepare the spinach for the quiche makes all the difference.

Uncooked Spinach

Chop the spinach into small pieces if you leave it uncooked to allow it to cook faster. Remove the stems to avoid tough pieces. Layer the uncooked spinach on the bottom of the pie crust or plate and underneath most of the ingredients. The eggs and any moist ingredients should keep the spinach wet so it doesn't crisp when cooking in the oven.

Cooking It

To give fresh spinach a softer texture, you can cook it first before adding it to the quiche. This guarantees the spinach is soft when your quiche is finished cooking. It also allows you to cook the spinach with other ingredients, which may give it more flavor. Cook frozen spinach just until it starts to dry out since it's already softened, but usually too moist for most dishes.

Methods of Cooking Spinach

Cook the spinach in a skillet with aromatics or flavor-enhancing ingredients such as onions, garlic cloves, bacon and herbs. Saute the spinach in the pan until it completely wilts. Cover the pan of spinach and let it sit to steam instead of sauteing. Add a little water to the pan, if you don't want to use oil or butter, to steam the spinach. Pour off the water after steaming.

Other Tips

When making spinach with quiche, wash the spinach well under running water to remove all traces of dirt and debris. Select only fresh, crisp spinach leaves with no signs of mold for the best tasting quiche. If you use frozen instead of fresh spinach, drain the spinach well in a colander and squeeze out any excess moisture.

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